The management of fluid administration to surgical patients before and after an operation is an integral part of their care. Since the majority of surgical patients, emergencies or elective, will be receiving intravenous fluids during a proportion of their stay, it is important that members of the surgical team have a system to guide fluid usage. This article will discuss the normal physiology, how to determine fluid requirements for patients and how to assess fluid balance. It will also summarize the various types of fluids that are available and provide a framework for the junior doctor.
Andrew Day BSc MBBS MRCS is a Laparoscopic Research Fellow at the Minimal Access Therapy Training Unit (MATTU), Guildford, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared
Tim Rockall MBBS FRCS MD is Director of the MATTU and Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgeon at The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared
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